November 15th, 2006 1:10 AM
By Susan Haigh / Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. - Democrat Joe Courtney's victory over Republican Rep. Rob Simmons in their U.S. House contest was confirmed Tuesday by results of a roller-coaster recount that stretched nearly a week and uncovered significant vote-counting flaws.
Recounts showed that Courtney won by 91 votes instead of the 167-vote margin counted on election night, according to results tabulated by town clerks and reported to The Associated Press. Nearly 250,000 votes were cast.
Both parties monitored the recount and confirmed that Courtney had the final edge, although their figures differed. Republicans said their count showed Courtney winning by 96 votes, while Democrats had the margin at 93.
"This is doing it the hard way," Courtney told the AP.
Simmons' campaign manager Chris Healy said the recount was open and fair. "We're very thankful for that," he said.
"He (Simmons) ran a great campaign," state Republican Party Chairman George Gallo said. "He served with distinction in the 2nd District, and he can hold his head up very high."
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz planned a news conference Wednesday morning to announce the results.
Preliminary Election Day returns had given Courtney a slight edge, but the margin fluctuated wildly when towns re-examined their voting machines and envelopes of absentee ballots and began rechecking their original counts.
Courtney claimed victory the day after the election and was in Washington this week to attend orientation sessions. But he kept a nervous eye on the recount, which showed his already-slim lead narrowing even further.
At one point Monday, Courtney's lead dipped to 66 votes after a 100-vote discrepancy was discovered in the town of Lebanon. Significant errors were also discovered in Lyme and Waterford. Minor errors were reported throughout the district, with each candidate picking up or losing one or more votes.
Simmons' campaign raised concerns about the vote tallies in Norwich, New London and Chester, where it appeared more people voted than filed absentee ballots or were checked off by the poll workers. No official elections complaints have been filed.
The recount was triggered because Courtney's unofficial victory margin was less than half of 1 percent of the total votes cast.
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